Interim Head Coach Jim Chaney turned out to be the perfect elixir on a cold, cloudless Saturday afternoon and a Neyland Stadium filled with a lot of empty butt space.

He made it fun. His smile and enthusiasm was genuine, and infectious. The players looked like they were actually having a good time. Which is how it should be. Always. And especially on Senior Day.

***

The game was played by players coached by two lame-duck coaching staffs. Only one had the head coach willing to show up. That staff lost its eighth conference game of this wretched season.

Junior QB Tyler Bray followed one of his worst games ever with one of his best.

Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray throws downfield with Justin Hunter in the foreground. Will either player be back for their senior season? (ADAM BRIMER/NEWS SENTINEL)

He distributed the ball to many well-deserving players for TDs, including seniors Zach Rogers and Mychal Rivera. And also to juniors Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson, who both like Bray, are expected to leave the Vols for the chance to play on Sundays.

After the game, Chaney had this to say:

I’m happy we won a ballgame. That’s where my brain’s at.

I was too, for a few minutes.

But I was mostly happy for the seniors. Listening to their post-game lockeroom interviews with Tim Priest, I was struck by their maturity.

Perhaps it has all been worth it after all.

And I’m glad that they don’t have to go through these next several days as Dave Hart goes through the process of hiring Tennessee’s next head coach and staff.

But we have to, and will do gladly, with lofty expectations that hopefully, some day, can and will be fulfilled.

8 responses to “Some Fun for a Change”

those fifth year seniors need to write a book. id buy that first copy. congrats to all of them for hanging tough in a football world they never thought they would see.

and id also like to take this opportunity to thank fred for another season of excellent journalism. i know this takes hours to do over the length of the season and its for nothing more than his love of sports and of volunteer football. i know first hand its in his blood and i love this blog and the chance to be a part of it

I will echo TK’s remark, and observe that among the many things to be thankful for this past Thanksgiving, all of us are (or should be) grateful for Vols in the Fall, and the thoughtful and incisive analysis and commentary that we have had over the past season (and the past several seasons, in fact), along with the opportunity to throw in our 2-cents’ worth.